A Quiet Explosion
by ILoveTheBooks
Summary: It's Eddie's birthday - what will she wish for? Plus more short chapters about their relationship after her birthday. Set some time after season 7 - when Jamie and Eddie are partners again. I don't own Blue Bloods or any of the characters.
1. Chapter 1

A Quiet Explosion

"Happy Birthday, Eddie! See you tomorrow." Everyone in the bar yells as two people walk out the door. One of them is loaded down with gift bags – it's not the birthday girl.

She waves at their fellow officers before turning back to her partner and reaching for the bags. "I can carry some of those."

"I've got them; it's your birthday after all."

"Aw, Reagan, I kind of like you being my personal lackey."

"Yeah, just don't get used to it." He replies, but he smiles as he says it.

They walk in silence for all of one block before she starts humming the same song they argued about so many years ago on the same walk. Neither acknowledges the song or the previous walk out loud, but on the inside both can't help but replay their first and brief kiss over and over. Just like last time they reach her apartment too quickly, but this time he follows her in and places her presents on the table.

She goes immediately to the fridge. "Do you want a beer? Oh, my god. Where did this come from?"

He know exactly what she's talking about because he got it for her and he smiles again – this time at her surprise and delight.

She takes the gift out, places it on the table with the others, and reaches for the small card attached to the bouquet. It reads – _Happy Birthday! From the best and most handsome partner you've ever had._ She looks up.

"You got me an Edible Arrangement as a birthday present?"

Something in her voice gives him reservations. Did she not like it?

"I thought you'd like it. Fruit dipped in chocolate, what's not to love?"

"Of course I like it – any gift I can eat has a soft spot in my heart – but how did it get in my fridge?"

"Oh, I snuck it in here right after you left for the bar and then I ran a few blocks so I'd beat you there." Relieved that she likes the gift he reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out three long candles and a lighter. "They gave me candles to light when I said it was a birthday present – kind of like a birthday cake."

"Nothing like a birthday cake, but I'll take what I can get." She watches intently as he sticks the candles in and lights them one by one.

He steps back, "Make a wish."

They look at each other over the flames. He tries not to but he can't help but notice that the candlelight on her face makes her blue eyes glint like gems. She can't help noticing how relived he looks that she likes his gift and it makes her heart clench. She looks away first only to close her eyes and blow out the candles.

"You didn't sing me 'Happy Birthday.'" She exclaims when the candles are extinguished.

"You do not want to hear that. What did you wish for?"

"It won't come true if I tell and you wouldn't want to know it anyway." She looks him in the eye again and he knows right away what her wish was.

He also knows that he shouldn't move towards her, shouldn't trap her against the counter with his arms, shouldn't enjoy the sound of her breath catching. He tells himself he's only doing it because it's her birthday and it's what she wished for but they both know that's a lie.

"You shouldn't want me Eddie – there are so many reasons why…" He doesn't finish the sentence.

"Just kiss me." She wants him so badly that her limbs ache with it. She doesn't know if he'll do it. She might die if he doesn't, she might die if he does.

He stops warring with himself and ardently presses his lips against hers.

They both stop breathing.

That only lasts for a moment before their kisses become hungry, before hands start roaming and buttons come undone.

She leans back slightly, only long enough to tell him that she has a bedroom and that they should be using it.

"Lead the way."

They both lie on their backs breathing hard, staring at the ceiling. Neither of them dares to speak first but one of them must eventually.

A full minute passes.

Finally, he speaks. "You were right, I am ruined." He says the words quietly, fervently.

"Yeah, that was…"

"Incredible," he offers.

She nods at the ceiling, "The best."

They look at each other out of the corner of their eyes which leads to them reaching for one another and, in turn, leads to lips pressing against lips.

Another minute passes.

She breaks the silence this time. "What are we going to do?"

She asks because they both know that after tonight there'll be no hiding their feelings at work, there'll be no going back to pretending there are no feelings.

"We'll figure it out," is all he says because he knows they will. "Turn around."

It takes her a moment to understand his request but when she does she smirks. "Are you going to spoon me, Reagan?" She jokes about it but obliges and turns around.

His chest hits her back while his arms go around her. "Yes," he responds in all seriousness.

She takes one of his hands in hers and softly kisses his palm.

"Sleep, Eddie. We'll take care of everything tomorrow."

Because he tells her too, she sleeps.


	2. Chapter 2

*I wrote a second part, partly because I was asked to and partly because I have a couple little story one-shots already in my head. I'll probably write a couple more but I can't promise any type of timeline – sorry about that. Hopefully you like this one though!

Love Bites

A surprised whistle rings throughout the men's locker room. Jamie doesn't realize it's meant for him until Renzulli speaks.

"Woo-hoo, Reagan, those scratches on your back from a girl or did you get in a fight with a mountain lion?" There are more hoots and hollers throughout the room.

Jamie's head snaps up – undershirt in his hands. "What are you talking about?"

His sergeant's eyebrows lift. "The eight scratches down your back. I really hope they're from a fun night, Reagan, otherwise I might just feel bad for ya."

Jamie can't help the slow burn stretching across his face. He puts his shirt on to avoid looking anywhere.

"That girl got you good Jamie! Can you pass along her number, I wouldn't mind a night like that sometime soon." Officer Leaming jabs him in the ribs.

"No, you can't have her number," Jamie says with a hint of venom in his voice.

"Oh, so it's that way. Why didn't you bring her to Janko's party last night then?"

"That's none of your business; it's actually no one's business but mine, so I'd like to just get ready for tour in silence." He turns to face his locker and continues to get ready without looking in anyone's direction. He knows that after tour today he has to tell Renzulli to get him a new partner, but he doesn't want anyone else knowing about Eddie – at least not right away.

He walks out of the locker room to meet up with his partner one last time.

"Is that a bite mark?" Kara looks at Eddie with concern in her voice. "Did a perp get you?"

Eddie doesn't turn scarlet – she's not easily embarrassed – but she does know exactly what mark Kara is talking about and she smiles at the memory of getting it.

"No, a perp did not get me. _That_ is from last night."

"Oh, so you had an even better birthday after you left your party. Why didn't you bring this guy last night? I mean you left with Reagan… Oh my god, did you sleep with Jamie?" The last part is said in a whisper even though the two girls are the only ones in the locker room.

Eddie shouldn't be surprised that Kara figured that out so quickly but she is and for once she doesn't have a quick comeback. Her face is frozen – mouth open, eyes wide – as she searches for her words.

Finally she says, "Please don't tell anyone." They're words that have been strung together since the first secrets came about but what else is there to say.

"I won't, I just can't believe it. I knew you guys had feelings for each other but I also know that he would never have a relationship with his partner, so this has to be a pretty recent thing, right?"

"Of course it's recent; last night was the first time. At the end of shift today we're talking to Renzulli about getting new partners but we still don't want this getting out right away. Cops make fun of each other enough and I don't want to hear any more jokes about how we've been sleeping together for years when we haven't." Eddie looks away from Kara and starts putting on her shoes.

"Your secret is safe with me but just tell me one thing – the sex was great wasn't it." She doesn't leave the sentence with a question, she just wants confirmation.

Eddie can't help but laugh a little. "Yeah, it really was. Now let's get out of here." She grabs her hat and heads toward the door with Kara at her heels.

For once Jamie is waiting for Eddie. The two share a look before walking out of the precinct to their car. Kara faintly shakes her head behind them before going to do some paperwork.

The partners just start driving when Eddie tells Jamie that Kara knows.

"I thought we weren't going to tell anyone right away."

"I didn't tell her. She saw the bite mark you left and figured it out. We did leave together last night and got here at the same time today – I don't think it takes a high IQ to recognize the signs."

Jamie blushes again and it makes Eddie smile.

"Well the guys saw the scratches _you_ left on my back and they didn't even consider you. They must have finally accepted the fact that we weren't sleeping together, which will work in our favor now that we are. Kara will keep this quiet won't she?"

"She said she would and I believe her. It's Renzulli I'm worried about blabbing."

"We don't have to tell him why we want new partners."

"Reagan, he may not have figured it out in the locker room but he sure as hell will when we ask for new partners. There's no sense in lying to him." Eddie can't even believe that Jamie would suggest not telling the whole truth, he is a boy scout after all.

He realizes this too and agrees quickly with her statement. "Let's just leave all this talk for later and enjoy our last day as partners." The words are weighted down with melancholy but they both know that not being work partners anymore will allow them to be partners in a difference sense, a better sense.

Just like last night, Eddie picks up Jamie's hand and kisses his palm and then the partners head off into their last tour.

"Let me get this straight. You two – the most accomplished partners this precinct has ever seen – want to be separated and given new partners, is that right?" Renzulli has a look of disbelief on his face.

The partners being questioned sit in front of Renzulli, who's behind his desk.

"That's correct Sarge," is all Jamie says. Eddie nods in agreement.

"But what is this about? I thought you two were thick as thieves. You don't even…" He doesn't finish the thought and the partners can see the exact moment he realizes why they're asking for a change. He mumbles "the scratches" while shaking his head and Eddie's cheeks finally flush just a bit.

"Ya know I always kind of knew this was going to happen someday. I thought it'd be within the first year of your partnership but when Reagan said nothing was going to happen I wrote it off even though the thought was always there. I'm just glad you two came to me right away. There's nothing more dangerous than partners having romantic feelings for each other.

"I'll ride with you again for a little while, Reagan and Janko you can ride with Baxter for a couple days. I'll come up with permanent solutions eventually but that will have to do for now."

All three of the officers stand.

"Thank you sir," Jamie and Eddie say in unison before turning to leave for the night. They almost get to the door when Renzulli calls after them.

"Reagan, Janko, I hope everything works out for you two, I really do." The look on his face and the tone of his voice are both completely earnest.

Jamie (with a small lump in his throat) smiles at his longtime boss. "Thanks Sarge, we do too."

When they get outside and out of the eyesight of any colleagues Jamie takes Eddie's hand. "Follow me to my place?"

"Hmm, I don't know Reagan, Brooklyn at this time of night?" They both know she's joking but he looks at her until she gives a real answer. "You know I will." She nudges him in the side – something she's done a thousand times but now the move is more flirtatious than playful.

"Good," he reaches his car first and unlocks the door before turning back to her. "Just watch the scratching tonight alright. I don't need any more flack from the guys."

She walks to her car before answering him. "No promises."


	3. Chapter 3

Bombshell

For two months the ex-partners have been able to keep their relationship a secret from everyone – except for Renzulli and Walsh – and they can't believe it. People were curious about why they stopped riding together, of course they would be, but the story they were fed was completely plausible. Eddie and Jamie had had many fights before – publically and privately – so it really wasn't hard for them to pretend they'd had another (yet much larger) fight and were mad at each other while at work.

At night they went to new bars instead of the traditional cop ones and Eddie always stayed Saturday night at Jamie's so he could make it to church on time with his family.

Their relationship bubble had no gossip and no frills and that was exactly how they wanted it, but bubbles, in the end, always pop and a two month old bubble is well past its expiration date.

Jamie and Eddie are walking out of the precinct at the same time but they aren't alone and only one of them is done for the day. Eddie and her new partner David Bell are both in uniform and heading for their patrol car for a two hour ride before their shifts end. Jamie doesn't look at them as he walks to his own car but he texts Eddie as he slides behind the wheel.

Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she looks at it before opening the driver's side door. _Don't forget to get egg rolls when you pick up dinner tonight. Keep Bell safe, love you._ She laughs and shakes her head slightly before getting in and starting patrol.

Jamie finishes setting the table knowing Eddie should be there in about 20 minutes with their Chinese food. He can't light the candles yet so he goes to the couch to watch the end of a classic football play-off game.

He doesn't hear his phone vibrating right away but he saves it before it takes a dive off of the table. He sees Linda's name flashing up at him and is immediately on alert, thinking something happened to Danny or maybe his grandfather. He keeps his voice calm when he answers.

"Hey, Linda, what's up?"

"Jamie, I don't want you to freak out, but Eddie was admitted a few minutes ago with a gunshot wound. She's…"

Jamie doesn't hear the rest of what she says. The family knows Eddie isn't his partner anymore – the fake fight was the excuse they gave to everyone – but they all knew he would still want to know if she was injured on the job. He puts on his boots without lacing them, grabs his coat and keys and runs out the door.

"I'll be there as fast as I can," he says and then he hangs up the phone.

Linda sighs into the disconnected phone. She should have known better than to tell him about the gunshot wound. Eddie was going to be just fine but now Jamie won't know that until he gets to the hospital and she hadn't wanted him to drive while anxious. She goes to sit behind the nurses' desk and waits for him to arrive.

Jamie runs through the hospital, ignoring all the people that tell him to stop. When he makes it to the correct floor he searches vehemently for Linda. Spotting her behind the desk he rushes forward once again.

She speaks before he can. "Jamie, she's fine. The bullet went straight through her right shoulder. It caused a little muscle damage but that's it, she's perfectly fine."

The words ease Jamie but only slightly, he needs to see her to be sure. "Where is she?"

"She's sleeping right now so don't wake her, but she's down the hall, second door on the left."

"Thanks Linda," he says, but he's already walking down the hallway. He reaches Eddie's room and quietly lets himself in. Her hair is no longer in a bun and it hangs over left shoulder, away from her injury. There's no blood on her and she looks peaceful sleeping there and that, finally allows Jamie to let out the breath he's been holding in.

He walks over to the bed and sits down in the chair there. He starts to reach for her hand before remembering that no one knows they're seeing each other – that they aren't fighting but in love and happy. _Screw it,_ he thinks and then he takes her hand in his.

He stays in that position for about an hour before he decides to get up to get coffee and talk to Linda again. He knows Eddie will be okay and that's the only reason he's able to leave her for a few minutes.

He gets his coffee first and then searches for his sister-in-law.

Spotting her coming out of another patient's room he reaches her in a few quick strides.

"Linda, I'm sorry about basically running away from you earlier, I was just really worried. Thanks for calling me by the way."

She smiles at him. "It's alright, Jamie. I knew you'd want to know if something happened to her, even if you two are fighting. From what I overheard it sounded like a robbery attempt that went wrong. I think she put herself in front of her new partner when he was shot at, but I'm not positive on that."

It's one of his worst fears come to life – Eddie being hurt on the job – but he knows he would have thrown himself in front of his partner too, so he can't blame her or Bell for it.

"Are you sure she's okay though? Couldn't she have hidden injuries or something?" He just wants to be sure.

"I'll check her file again; her test results are probably in." Jamie follows Linda back to the nurses' desk where she takes a file from an in-patient pile. He watches her read and notices when her face goes from studious to surprise. He wants to ask what's wrong but he waits for her to finish reading.

Linda looks up at him, the shock on her face still evident. "She's alright, but…" She stops talking.

"What is it?" He's still worried even though she said Eddie was fine.

Linda looks around to make sure they're alone. "I could get fired for telling you this, so don't say anything to anyone okay, not even her?"

"You know I won't."

"She's pregnant."

Jamie hears the words she said but he can't comprehend them. He just stares at her with his signature confused yet skeptical expression.

"About 8 weeks along. Do you know if she's seeing anyone? Someone should call him if she is." Linda doesn't notice that Jamie has checked out of the conversation. That there are fireworks and bombs going off in his head and stomach.

"I need to get out of here," he says quietly and then he turns toward the elevator.

Linda looks after him, startled at his sudden disappearance. She has no idea why he leaves but she'll find out by the end of the night.

When Eddie wakes up she knows exactly where she is. She remembers the evening's events perfectly: the robbery call, being outnumbered, stepping in front of Bell (who'd had his back to one of the perps), the pain in her shoulder as the bullet went through, backup coming, and riding in the ambulance.

She doesn't remember much from being in the hospital, but that's because they had given her pain meds right away and they worked fast.

She looks around the room wondering how long she's been there and if Jamie has heard the news yet. She spots her cell phone on the side table and texts him that she's alright but she'd love his company. She doesn't get a response and she assumes it's because he's driving to the hospital.

She starts looking through Facebook to pass the time when Jamie's sister-in-law comes in the room.

"Oh, good, you're awake. I'm Linda Reagan; we've met a few times before but I don't know if you remember. I'm your nurse for the night."

"Of course, I remember. It's nice to see you again, even if I had to get shot to do so." She smiles at the older woman.

"It's good that you're alright. The bullet didn't cause any permanent damage but you will have to wear a sling for a little while and your arm mobility won't be great for a little bit either but I actually have some news for you that's not about your bullet wound."

Eddie is immediately both curious and suspicious. Does Linda somehow know about her and Jamie? Did something happen to Bell after she was taken away?

"What is it?" She asks.

Linda had asked the doctor if she could be the one to tell Eddie the news and now that she was about to she was nervous. Eddie wasn't a teenager; she could handle being a single mother if she had to be, but what if she wasn't happy with the news?

Linda takes a deep breath and plunges ahead. "Well, we did a blood test when you came in, which is normal procedure, and it showed you have hCG in your blood. hCG indicates pregnancy."

Eddie is speechless for maybe the fourth time in her entire life. The room is silent for minutes before she whispers, "pregnant? Like there's a baby inside me right now?"

"Yes."

Eddie's thoughts float into the past. Before her birthday she hadn't slept with anybody for about two months and there was no way she was four months pregnant now, which left Jamie as the only option as the father. But they'd been careful hadn't they?

She continues thinking over the last two months and she can only come up with two possible scenarios. Either something when wrong with one of the condoms they'd used or they hadn't used one the first time. She can't remember for sure, that night had been 100% passion and spontaneity, she hadn't been thinking about protection at all and he probably hadn't been either.

She sighs, puts a hand to her temple.

"What am I supposed to do?" She doesn't mean to ask the question out loud but Linda answers her anyway.

"I think the first thing you need to do is talk to the baby's father, decide if you want to keep it or not. Having a baby is a big responsibility and you shouldn't make…"

"I'm keeping it." Eddie says almost dejectedly.

Linda can't miss the tone of her voice. "Are you sure?"

Eddie is sure. Of course she thought she'd be a little older and married before she had kids but this was happening now and Jamie was it for her.

"Yes. I've only been with this person for a couple months but he'll be the best dad and, I mean, how many people actually plan pregnancies these days. I won't lie and say I'm not freaking out because I am but I can do this, we can do this." He voice grew in conviction after each word and she knew that she could be a mother, especially with Jamie by her side.

Linda smiled at her. "You can do it. It's gonna be really really hard but it's worth it in the end, I can promise you that. I'll be back in a little while to check on you, alright?"

"Ok and thank you, for telling me." Linda just nods as she leaves the room. Eddie grabs for her phone again and dials.

She gets his voicemail so she leaves a message. _Reagan, you need to get to this hospital right now. I'm totally fine but I need to tell you something really important and it can't be said over the phone. Sorry about the egg rolls, I love you._

*Ok, so this is not how I want the show to go, this just popped into my head and I thought I'd add it to the story I already had. I do, however, really like the idea of Jamie having a child without being married – like, the boy scout did something wrong, how will everyone else react? There is a second part to chapter that explores those feelings – I'll post it later this week. Hope you like them!


	4. Chapter 4

A Continuation of Events

Jamie walks down the street without seeing anything, anyone. He doesn't know how he got to this place, they'd always been careful and he knew she'd been on her period at one point. Up ahead he spots a drug store and steps inside for some ginger ale and ibuprofen – his stomach and head haven't stopped their bombarding.

He takes three pills, downs them with the ginger ale, and then continues to walk around the store just to do something. He ends up in a small clothing section and spots baby clothes before he can move on. He stops dead.

Toward the bottom of the shelf is a small baby onesie with the trademark 'I NYC' on it and he can't stop staring. Suddenly images of himself with his own child fill his head: going to football games, playing in the backyard at the Reagan house with the whole family, eating at all the best places in the city. In each vision he sees a small blonde haired, blue eyed toddler and in each vision he sees Eddie. He sees her at the games, with his family, loving the restaurants, playing with their child and he suddenly wonders why he ever left the hospital.

He grabs the onesie and checkouts as fast as he can before almost running back to St. Vincent's.

Eddie is in the same place he left her but now she's awake and a doctor is talking to her. Before he can enter the room Linda spots him.

"Jamie, where did you go? You ran out of here faster than a cheetah."

"Sorry about that. I just needed some fresh air for a minute, but now I need to talk to Eddie. It's important."

"Well, just wait for the doctor to leave her and you can." She starts to turn away but stops and turns back to him. "Is everything alright? You're kind of acting weird. Is it because of what I told you, are you freaked out about it, that the baby could have been hurt?" She searches his face to see how he's feeling and is surprised when she sees conflicting emotions.

Jamie stares back at Linda and wars with himself over telling her the truth or not. He finally decides that she would find out eventually so why not now.

"I'm the father."

She continues to stare at him, not knowing if she should believe him. It doesn't take her long to know he's telling the truth about this and lying about fighting with Eddie. His earlier behavior makes a lot more sense now too.

"Well, that's one way to find out you're going to be a father." They both laugh kind of awkwardly at that before they're both serious again. "I can't say I'm not a little disappointed in you for not being more careful, but this could be a good lesson for Jack and Sean and it will be nice to have another niece or nephew around." She gives him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Now go see your girl."

Eddie watches as Jamie walks into her room and she, for once, can't tell what he's thinking. She thought she'd see concern on his face but it's not really there.

"Hey, did you get my messages?"

He doesn't answer, just bends to give her a kiss and not a chaste one. She melts into it for two seconds before pulling away.

"You do know Linda is like 100 feet away from us right now, don't you?"

"I don't care, I'm just happy you're alright." He sits down again and takes her hand. "What messages?"

"I texted and called you like twenty times, how did you miss that?"

He pats his pockets looking for his phone before realizing he must have left it in his car without noticing. "I guess I forgot it, did you want me to bring you something?"

"No, I just have something important to talk to you about." She stops to take a few deep breaths, not sure how he's going to take the news.

He waits because he's not supposed to know what she's about to say.

She rallies her courage and blurts out the first sentence she can think of. "You put a baby inside me," and then she puts her hand over her face at the absurdity of her words.

He just starts laughing.

She stares at him incredulously. "Why the hell are you laughing? It's not funny, this is serious. I'm pregnant and you made me this way and what are we going to do?"

He keeps laughing but he's able to grab the bag with the onesie in it and place it on Eddie's lap.

She's starting to get a little irritated with him but she opens the bag and takes out the onesie and then she's confused.

"How did you know?"

He stops laughing to answer her. "They left your file open on accident and I looked at it while they weren't watching." He doesn't like lying to her but he also doesn't want her to be angry at Linda. "I know this is a big deal and I know it's gonna be hard but I'm positive we can do this."

"I know we can too, but I need to be honest with you for a second." She pauses to search his face, concern is prominently there now. "Our kid can never wear this. Only tourists wear these shirts and this kid is going to be a born and bred New Yorker."

He laughs again but only for a moment. "That's part of the reason I bought it, I wanted to raise kids in the city too. I also wanted you to know that I'm in, I'm in for everything having a kid entails and I thought it was kind of cute and funny."

She smiles, "at least we can agree on living in the city but we're going to have to find a new apartment and tell your family and Renzulli – shit, I don't want to be on desk duty for seven months and everyone at the precinct is gonna give us hell for this. What will your family think? You're all religious, this can't be a good thing for you guys right?"

"Eddie, calm down," he grabs her face in his hands. "I already told Linda that I'm the father and she was fine with it, even a little excited, and whether we're religious or not, the rest of the family will be happy too. The precinct will be hell for a while but they'll all get over it. I even think you can stay on street duty for a while if you want too, there's a policy on it you should read but I know I've seen a pregnant cop on duty before. We'll figure all of this out eventually but for now, let's just focus on getting you out of the hospital, deal?"

She grasps his wrists, "Okay." He kisses her again and this time she doesn't pull away.

When they eventually do break apart Jamie tells her to scoot over so he can lie next to her on the hospital bed.

Out of nowhere he says, "I thought women didn't get their periods when they're pregnant?" The thought had bothered him all night.

This time she laughs. "I actually thought that too but I asked the doctor and she said some women can have them for almost their entire pregnancies – that's how we end up with babies born in bathrooms, the moms just don't know they're pregnant, crazy right?"

He makes an incredulous face at that. "Yeah, it is. Try to get some sleep; we'll talk in the morning." He kisses her temple and closes his eyes.

"Jamie."

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

He smiles, eyes still closed. "I love you too." She closes her eyes and falls asleep quickly.

Linda pops her head in fifteen minutes later and watches the parents-to-be sleeping. She smiles to herself before turning down the lights and walking back to the nurses' desk.

_*Ok, so there's one more part after this one where they tell the family and precinct. After I started writing that part it just made more sense to separate the chapters. Hopefully you guys like this one and I'll get the next one up as soon as I can.


	5. Chapter 5

The Secret Comes Out

A week and a half later it's Sunday. Jamie is getting dressed for church while Eddie continues to lie on his bed.

"Are you sure you don't want to come? We'd save some gas only taking one car."

"I am already nervous enough having to go to family dinner with you, I don't need to go to church and be judged by everyone first. And neither of us cares enough about gas mileage for that to be a problem. You're acting like I'm a flight risk or something."

He looks away shyly. "I think you might be. You've been trying to get out of dinner all week. So once again, I'll remind you that I can't go tell them all you're pregnant without you being there, it'd just be weird. Besides, this way they all get to know you better for a little while before we tell them."

She groans and puts a pillow over her head. "You're dad's going to fire me." She feels the bed dip next to her and then the pillow is taken off of her face.

Jamie laughs softly at her forlorn expression. "He would never do that and you know it. Trust me when I say they'll all be excited and they'll all love you. Danny will probably make comments about our relationship but that's nothing new. Everything will be fine, ok?"

She nods, "ok."

He climbs off the bed and leans down to kiss her goodbye. "If you're not there by two I'll assume you skipped town and come after you."

"Reagan, you know I'll be there, now get going or you're going to be late."

Jamie kisses her once more – neither of them can keep their hands to themselves after so many years of bottled sexual tension – and walks out of the room.

Jamie is in the kitchen with Erin and Linda, slicing a cucumber for the salad. Linda hasn't said anything to him about Eddie coming today but Erin hasn't given him a break since church ended.

"I knew you always liked her, ever since that day you came to talk to me. I just always wondered why nothing ever happened after that, why you never made a move." She gives him a pointed look.

"I don't think I was ready to let myself feel anything past friendship at that point and I definitely wasn't ready to lose Eddie as my partner. I also don't know if she had feelings for me then, I think she might of, but we haven't actually talked about it. Then it got to the point where I was so comfortable where I was that I didn't want to ruin what we had by taking things to the next level. If it weren't for her making…"

The doorbell rings.

All three heads look up.

"Please, Erin, don't give her a hard time, she's nervous enough coming here and she doesn't need any added stress." Jamie gives his sister a short pleading look before going to answer the door. He only wishes he were able to tell Danny the same thing before letting her in.

When he opens the door Eddie is standing there in her usual jeans, blouse, and moto-jacket. To Jamie, she looks stunning. He pulls her inside. "I'm glad you made it," he says while taking her bag and setting it down by Erin and Linda's.

"And before 1:30 I might add." She smirks at him and then looks around the house. "Reagan, this house is crazy nice."

"I'm not sure it compares to where you grew up but we all love it." He gives her a kiss on the cheek. A few weeks back she had opened up a bit about growing up and her childhood home sounded more like a resort than a house.

She starts to respond but is interrupted when the Commissioner comes into the room. Eddie, on auto pilot, straightens and comes to attention. Jamie and Frank chuckle.

"At ease, Officer Janko, you're our guest today so don't think of me as the Commissioner. Call me Frank even." He reaches for her hand and she shakes it.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to do that but thank you for having me. Your house is lovely"

"Thank you, now come on it, dinner is almost ready so why don't we go sit down. It will be nice to have a setting next to Jamie again." His tone is slightly dejected and she knows immediately that Jamie's brother Joe used to sit there.

She follows Frank into the dining room where they find Sean and Jack already seated.

"Boys this is Uncle Jamie's friend Eddie, I expect both of you to be on your best behavior."

"Grandpa, we're old enough to know 'friend' really means girlfriend." Sean says which makes Eddie laugh.

"It's nice to meet you both. Jamie tells me you guys play soccer, I used to play left defender in high school maybe we could kick a ball around sometime."

The boys look at her skeptically.

"You used to play soccer?" Jack finally asks, skepticism written across his entire face.

"Jack, that's not polite." Frank reprimands.

"It's alright and yes, I did play. I was also a cheerleader, if that makes more sense." She says it with a smile so they all know she's not offended.

Before anyone can say anything else Erin, Nikki, Linda, and Henry walk in each carrying a dish.

"Dinner's ready, everybody take a seat."

Jamie and Danny come in, also carrying platters.

"Eddie, good to see you again, how's it having a new partner?" Danny asks as he sets down the mixed fruit bowl he'd been holding.

"Oh, it's great. Bell let's me drive," she looks over at Jamie who just rolls his eyes.

They all take their seats but Jamie, who fills everyone's wine glasses – everyone's except Eddie's.

"Uncle Jamie, don't forget Eddie," Nikki says.

"Uh, Eddie doesn't like red wine." He replies – it's the only excuse he can think of.

"Jamie, why didn't you tell us that, we could have had something different. You were raised better than that." His grandfather chastises him.

Eddie speaks before Jamie can. "It's completely fine, Mr. Reagan. I've been trying to drink only water and coffee, you know, be healthier where I can be." She knows by the end of the day everyone will know the truth about her not drinking but they both agreed to wait until dinner was done before they told their secret.

"Mr. Reagan? I like her Jamie," Henry smiles at the two of them.

"Me too, Pops," Jamie replies as he takes his seat between Eddie and Nikki.

"Whose turn is it to say grace?" Frank asks from his place at the head of the table.

"I'd like to, if that's ok with everyone," Linda says.

"Of course. Eddie, join in only if you want to." Frank says.

They all bow their heads, Eddie too and Linda says a prayer.

"Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us all together today. Please help us to be more understanding, loving, and compassionate and bless this meal to our bodies, Amen."

"Amen," everyone says after she finishes.

They all dig in.

They all sit around the table, each with a partway eaten piece of peach crumble in front of them. Eddie takes her last bite and looks around.

"Whoever made this pie deserves a medal, it's delicious."

Erin looks at her and smiles. "Thank you, I'll tell Maria at the bakery that the next time I see her."

Most of the family laughs.

Eddie, seeing Jamie is also finished eating, looks at him and the two have a silent conversation as everyone else continues to eat.

Jamie clears his throat before addressing the room.

"I'd, uh, I'd like to make an announcement. Eddie and I have some pretty big news that we'd like to share."

Danny cuts in. "Kid, we already know you two are dating, you don't have to make speech." Linda elbows him as discretely as she can.

"Actually this is way bigger news than that. We've been dating for a little over two months and uh, it's been really great and we… we're, uh," Jamie can't form a sentence for the life of him.

"Did you guys elope or something?" Nikki asks with a confused yet interested look.

"Um no but we kind of skipped, we had one ni… no, we…," Eddie sees him struggling and cuts in. She's always been better at speaking up anyway.

"I'm pregnant."

Everyone looks at the two of them, their expressions all blank. Jamie takes Eddie's hand under the table and puts them on her thigh.

Linda breaks the silence, only because she already knew. "Well, that's wonderful news. Congratulations! Danny, isn't that great news?" She looks hard at her husband.

"Mmhmm, that is good news. When did that happen?" For once in his life, Danny Reagan can't think of anything joking to say, he's literally been shocked into silence.

Jack and Sean don't really seem interested – like most teenage boys – but both say 'cool' before digging back into their dessert.

"I think it's safe to say none of us were expecting that, but this _is_ nice news. We could always use more girls in the family," Erin remarks, even though none of them know if the baby's a girl or a boy.

Nikki claps her hands together before getting up to hug both Jamie and Eddie. "This is great, you guys and if you ever need a baby sitter I'm sure I can take a few nights off from studying. When are you due?"

"In about six and a half months," Eddie replies somewhat sheepishly – they can all do that math pretty easily.

"I take it she actually does like red wine then," Henry says with a smile, "and congratulations. The fact that I'm still around for any great-grandchildren is a blessing; I can't wait to meet this one."

"Thanks, Pop," Jamie says with tangible emotion in his voice. He turns to his dad.

Frank looks at his son and his eyes are slightly wet. "I'm happy for you, son, I really am. Being a grandfather is one of the best things in my life and I'll always be happy to have a new granddaughter or grandson."

Jamie smiles and nods his head at his father. Eddie squeezes his hand. He squeezes hers back.

They're all quiet again, but only for a few seconds before the room erupts into questions. Danny has gotten his voice back and starts in with the snarky comments.

Jamie and Eddie look at each other again and let out a collective breath before turning back to everyone and answering their questions as best they can. There's still a lot they have to figure out but Jamie knows that him and Eddie as a couple is a sure thing – a forever thing. And if he hadn't known that before, seeing her keep pace with Danny's jabs would have him knowing now.

Eddie and Jamie leave the Reagan house at the same time – Eddie with some leftover peach crumble and after they received multiple hugs from everyone.

"That went way better than I thought it would, Reagan," she comments as they make their way down the front path.

"Yeah, but I always knew they'd love you," he replies.

She elbows him. "Ok, Mr. 'I can't find my words,' whatever you say." She reaches her car, unlocks the driver's door, and turns back to him. He puts his arms on either side of her, trapping her between him and her Porsche.

"I wasn't sure how they'd take the pregnancy news; I never had doubts that they'd like you." He steps even closer to her, "and seeing you put Danny in his place was kind of a turn on."

She grins up at him. "Was it?"

"Yes," and he kisses her – probably too passionately for the middle of the street and the front of his father's house but neither of the cares.

He pulls away but only a few inches. "Your place or mine?"

"Mine," she says before turning back around.

"Get out that cheerleader uniform I heard you mention in there," he says as he walks away.

She whips back around. "How do you know I still have it?"

He grins, "I'm just taking an educated guess."

She doesn't answer him as she gets in her car and starts back to her apartment – where the uniform is in the back of her closet.

"Ok, so I read over the department's pregnancy policy and it looks like I can stay on street duty for as long as I want to or until I can't, which is cool. It also says I need a doctor's note clarifying that I am actually pregnant but I don't have to tell right away. Things went so well with your family, though, I think we'll be safe to tell Renzulli when I hit the second trimester."

Jamie doesn't want her to stay on the street at all but he knows better than to say anything. He also knows she would go insane on desk duty for months on end, with her arm in a sling she'd been stuck there for about two weeks and she went stir crazy.

"That still gives us a little more time for privacy but it will be nice when everybody knows, I've never felt completely comfortable keeping secrets."

"Well that's because you're a Boy Scout, I have no problem keeping this a secret until I can't hide it any longer, but Renzulli deserves to know. I just don't know what I'm going to have to do when my uniform doesn't fit anymore. Do they make maternity clothes for cops?"

"I have no idea but I'm sure you can find someone to ask about it. Now, can we please go get some dinner? I'm starving which means _you_ must be dying." He smiles at her and grabs their coats while she gets up from her desk.

"Very funny, but so help me, Reagan, if you get a salad again I'm making you go back to your apartment tonight."

"I was actually thinking that Cuban food sounded good tonight." She locks the door behind them and they head down the hall.

"Fine with me."

Three days later the couple arrives at the precinct for their tours. Eddie was cleared for street duty yesterday and she can't wait to get away from her desk.

She goes into the locker room and puts on her uniform, happy that it doesn't fit any tighter than it usually does. She finishes putting her hair in a bun and goes to the break room to get some coffee.

She gets about one step into the small room and stops dead. "What's that smell?"

"Doughnuts, there's even a jelly filled one left for you Janko," Renzulli says from the table.

Eddie turns and sprints to the nearest bathroom. Jamie sees her just as the door closes behind her.

"What happened?" He asks the first person he sees – Baxter.

"I don't know. She walked into the break room, smelled something bad, and ran out again. Women, man, who knows what goes on in their heads." He shakes his own and walks away.

Jamie turns back to the bathroom and knocks on the door. "Eddie, are you alright?"

The toilet flushes before she answers.

"I'm fine, Reagan. Can you get me a cup of coffee though; I don't want to go back in the break room." Her voice sounds rough, scratchy and he knows she just threw up. He's already read the whole of _What to Expect When You're Expecting_ so he feels pretty confident that morning sickness has made its debut.

"Of course, I'll be right back." He goes to get her coffee. Renzulli is still in the chair at the small table and, like always, he doesn't miss anything.

"What's wrong with Jenko?" He looks at Jamie over his own coffee cup.

"I think she might have a 24-hour bug or something." He pours Eddie's cup and walks back out of the room before Renzulli can say anything else.

Eddie is waiting for him and takes the coffee greedily. "Thanks."

"Do you feel okay? What made you get sick?"

"Ugh, the doughnuts. Food has never been my enemy before, Reagan, and I don't like it. Didn't that book say morning sickness only lasts until the second tri? That better be true."

"I don't think it's an exact science but for your sake I hope this is the only time this happens."

"Me too," they go to meet their partners but get all of five feet before Renzulli calls Eddie into his office.

The two share a look before she walks away. Jamie follows her but waits outside the door as she closes it behind her.

"Sarge," she says in greeting before taking a seat.

"Listen, Janko, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I know I shouldn't be asking you this but was that morning sickness I just saw?"

The two stare at each other for a few moments before she gives in.

"You're right you shouldn't ask me that but you're also right about the morning sickness. We were going to tell you once I got into the second trimester but you figured it out now so…." She doesn't notice her misstep until he speaks again.

"We, huh? I'm just going to take a guess here and say Jamie's the father," he doesn't wait for her confirmation. "I apologize for making you come clean before you wanted to, I just remember all too well my wife's morning sickness and I wanted to make sure you'd be okay for duty today."

"I think as long as I stay away from doughnuts I'll be fine, thanks for asking." She gets up to leave but turns back. "Sarge, I'd really appreciate it if you could keep this quiet for a couple weeks. People still don't really know Jamie and I are even seeing each other and we want to tell them when we're ready."

"I won't tell anyone, Janko, now get to work." He looks down at the paperwork on his desk, dismissing her.

Eddie walks out and meets Jamie.

"Is everything all right?"

"Well, he knows I'm pregnant. I didn't tell him, he just knew because I got sick. He wanted to make sure I was ok to go out today."

"Are you ok for tour today?" His hand brushes against hers and their fingers connect.

"I'm fine." She looks around to make sure no one is watching them before she kisses his cheek. "I'll see you at the end of tour." They break apart and head in different directions to find they're partners.

*This is way longer than I thought it would be – that's why it took so long – but I didn't want to break the story up. I know, just to be safe, most people don't announce pregnancies until the second trimester, but I can't see Jamie wanting to keep the news a secret that long. I also have no idea what the NYPD policy is on pregnant cops so I just made one up with information I got online – hopefully it's not too inaccurate.


	6. Chapter 6

Worse Than Being Shot

Eddie sits at her desk looking through paperwork bored out of her mind. She's eight and a half months along and on her third week of desk duty. She wanted to stay on the streets longer but her doctor told her she needed to take it easy – that her blood pressure was a little too high and too much stress or excitement could be bad for the baby.

She gets up and walks to the break room to grab her apple juice and leftover spaghetti for 'dinner.' It's really 11:00 at night but Eddie has the night shift and, honestly at this point, she could eat every hour on the hour.

Sitting back at her desk she digs into the pasta while continuing to read over an arrest report.

The hours trudge by and the paperwork blurs together. At 2:00 am she finally puts away the reports and boots up the ancient computer on her desk. There were some names from an abuse case that Jamie wanted more information on – technically not either of their jobs but there was no one around and she was about to die from boredom.

She looks through the names as slowly as she can, taking notes when interesting pieces show themselves. This task only takes a half hour and afterwards Eddie peruses Amazon's 'Baby' section – they had gotten almost everything they needed at Eddie's shower, but they still needed a car seat and changing table.

Two months before Jamie and Eddie had moved in together – after Jamie's lease had ended. There was a newly renovated apartment building a few blocks down from Eddie's place and they were able to get a good deal on a spacious two bedroom apartment with views of a small park.

The nursery was basically done – the walls painted a soft grey, the crib a few shades darker, one accent wall had hand painted stars and a moon covering it. Jamie, surprisingly, had decorated most of it and Eddie loved just sitting in the rocker, looking around the room and imagining the day there would be a sleeping baby in the crib.

Eddie is on page four when she hears someone spill their drink. Seconds go by before she realizes her chair and pants are wet. She looks on the floor and sees a puddle underneath her and she immediately stands up knowing what's happening.

"Help!" she yells. She doesn't know who else is in the precinct but two people come running – a young, new recruit named Melissa Reaser and Baxter.

"What's wrong?" Melissa asks breathlessly.

"My water just broke and I need someone to drive me to the hospital," Eddie responds just as out of breath. She doesn't think she's ever been so scared in her life.

"Oh my God, let me grab my keys," Melissa rushes away to the locker room. Baxter just stares at the floor, his face paler than paper.

"Baxter, can you radio Jamie and tell him what's going on. Tell him to run home and get the diaper bag and to have someone buy a car seat." Eddie notices Baxter hasn't moved, that he's still looking at the puddle on the floor. She slaps him softly and snaps her fingers in her face.

"Baxter! I need you to get a hold of Jamie, he's out on patrol and I need to get to the hospital. Can you do that?" She holds his gaze.

He nods slowly and then runs off to the nearest radio. Melissa comes back in.

"Let's go." She grabs Eddie around the waist and they walk outside to Melissa's patrol car.

Before Eddie can get in a sharp pain has her gasping and bending over to grab her stomach. "Ow, ow, fuck, that hurts." She slowly stands back upright, opens the door, and get's in.

"Are you alright?" Melissa asks as she starts the car and turns on the siren and lights.

"I'm fine, just drive."

Melissa Reaser can drive. They make it to St. Vincent's in record time. Eddie unbuckles and starts to get out of the car before turning back to the rookie.

"If I ever end up in a car chase, you'll be my first back up call. Thank you for this."

"You're welcome; now get inside before you have that baby on the street. I'll see you in a few weeks." Eddie gets out and walks into the hospital alone only to see Jamie already there and yelling at the woman behind the front desk.

"No, you don't understand. My girlfriend is in labor and she's here and you need to tell me where she is. Right now," Jamie sounds completely panicked so before anyone says anything else Eddie walks up right next to him and smiles kindly at the woman.

"Hi, I'm the girlfriend he's been yelling about and I need room as soon as possible please."

"Eddie, how did I beat you here? Baxter made it sound like you've been here for hours." He gently runs his hands down her arms and his eyes down her body. "Are you feeling ok?"

The nurse hands Eddie a form to fill out and she goes to sit down. "I'm fine, Reagan. A little scared but also excited. I thought we had at least another week before this would be happening but here we are." She fills out the form quickly and gives it back to the nurse who tells her someone will be down to get her in a few minutes.

"Thank you," Eddie responds before hunching over in pain again. Jamie rushes to her side and rubs her back. His face is a little paler now – in sympathy or fear, she doesn't know.

"Tell me what I can do to make this better," he says when the contraction is done.

"Just talk to me, keep my mind busy." A nurse with a wheelchair comes into the room and has Eddie take a seat. Jamie walks alongside the chair and tells her about his patrol. While getting Eddie settled in a bed he tells her how he broke his collarbone in first grade. While the doctor checks her out the first time he tells her about the time Erin said she was just his type. Eddie smiles at that before a look of alarm shows on her face.

"We need a car seat and clothes and diapers! Jamie, call Danny and Linda and have them go to our place to pick up the diaper bag for us. I told Baxter to tell you to get it but he obviously didn't. And call Erin and have her pick us up a car seat and changing table, she knows the nursery theme. I can't believe we're so unprepared."

Jamie actually laughs a little, "We didn't know the baby would decide to come early. This kid obviously has a mind of its own just like its mom. I'll go call them right now." He leans down to kiss her brow. "I'll be right back, don't go anywhere."

Before Eddie can form a retort he's out the door, cell phone already pressed to his ear.

"Kid, I'm kinda busy right now, can I call you back?" Danny says in a rush to his younger brother.

Jamie didn't realize his brother would already be awake at this hour – must be working a case. "Actually, Danny, you can't. Eddie's in labor and I need you or Linda to go to our place and pick up our diaper bag for the hospital. We were both on duty tonight and I'm not going to leave her to run home. It doesn't have to be right away – we still have a while before the baby comes but we're gonna need it eventually."

"Okay, I'll call Linda and tell her, I'd do it myself but Baez and I are on a stakeout for a couple more hours. I'll meet you at the hospital as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Danny. I'll see you guys in a little bit." He's about to hang up.

"Hey, kid."

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations." And Danny hangs up the phone.

Jamie smiles as he dials Erin. She'll definitely be asleep, but won't mind being woken up for this. She answers on the fourth ring.

"Hello," is all she says.

"Erin, hey, I'm sorry to wake you, but Eddie's in labor and it would be really great if you could go get us a changing table and car seat. You don't need to put the table together or anything, we just don't have one yet and the baby's coming early so…"

"Of course, I'll go get them! This is so exciting, Jamie. There's nothing better than when a baby is born, especially your own. Tell Eddie I said it's worth all the pain in the world. I won't be able to get that stuff until the stores open but I'll be at the hospital as soon as I pick them up. Love you, Jamie."

"Love you too; I'll see you when the sun is actually up."

Erin chuckles before hanging up and goes back to bed for a couple more hours.

Jamie doesn't call his dad and grandfather for a reason and he goes back into the room where his future is waiting.

Hours later Eddie is about to start pushing and Jamie decides to finally call his grandfather.

"Just hurry back," Eddie shouts over her pain.

He nods and steps out into the hallway.

The eldest Reagan answers almost immediately.

"Hello."

"Hey, Pops. I need you to go get Dad from the office and come to the hospital. There's about to be another Reagan in the world."

"I'll leave right away; do you need us to bring anything?"

"Nope, just bring yourselves. I'll see you soon; if I don't get back in to Eddie soon she might actually kill me."

"We'll be there as quickly as we can. Goodbye."

Jamie hurries back into the birthing room and forty minutes later a baby starts crying.

"It's a boy." The nurse says while laying the baby on Eddie's chest.

"Oh my god," Eddie says through fresh tears, gently stroking her son's head as the nurse cleans him off.

Jamie leans down, eye level with Eddie, and just stares at his son's tiny, wailing face – utterly speechless.

The nurse takes the newborn away to weigh and measure him.

Eddie turns to Jamie, takes his face in her hands, and kisses him fiercely. "Thank you," she says after pulling away slightly.

He cocks his head, voice incredulous, "For what?"

"Him."

"I think I should be saying 'thank you' to you. You carried him around for months, now I just have to be the best dad ever to make up for it." He smiles at her.

"You will be the best dad ever, I already know that."

Before he can respond the nurse brings back their son and places him in Eddie's arms. Jamie places a finger under the baby's hand and grins when it grips his finger.

The Reagans take turns going in to see the newest family member – Frank and Henry stepping into the room first.

They both hug Jamie tightly and kiss Eddie on the cheek.

Jamie takes his son from Eddie's arms and hands him to his father. "Meet Charles Jenko Reagan, Charlie for short."

Frank stares down at his grandson, his eyes a bit shiny.

"Good name. He's beautiful, son. I'm so happy for both of you."

"He sure is a looker. The girls are gonna be all over him when he gets older." Henry says, not at all joking.

Eddie laughs though. "I don't even want to think about that yet. I'd like to have at least a few years of peace."

Henry turns to her. "When you become a parent you almost never feel peace again, at least when it comes to your kids. You'll always worry, no matter what, but you wouldn't trade being a parent for anything."

They smile kindly at each other.

Frank cuts in. "Why didn't you call us sooner? We only got here about twenty minutes before he was born."

"I didn't want to worry you or have you stuck in the waiting room for an undetermined amount of time. You guys aren't as young as you used to be you know."

Frank chuckles. "No we aren't. You still could have called us, we would have been fine waiting, but what's done is done and either way we still have a healthy baby to celebrate. Dad, do you want to hold him?"

"Yes, I would," Henry says reaching for the sleeping infant and taking him gently into his arms. "You might not have guessed this, Eddie, but I'm excellent with babies."

"It's true," Jamie turns to Eddie. "Sean had colic and Pops was the only one of us that could ever calm him down."

She smiles at the older man. "Well it's good to know who to call when I need a few hours off."

"I'll go get Danny, Linda, and the boys so we don't take up too much of your time," Frank says while walking towards the door.

"We all agreed before coming in that we would only stay an hour total, so that way you two could spend more time with this little one," Pops says.

"You guys don't have to do that, you're welcome to stay as long as you want," Eddie replies.

"We all know what it's like to be a parent for the first time, so we also know how important it is to spend time alone with the baby for the first few weeks. Don't worry, though, we'll be around so much you'll be wishing for some peace and quiet."

Frank comes back in followed by Danny and his family. Linda quickly hugs Jamie before making her way to Eddie and hugging her fiercely.

"How are you doing? The pain wasn't too bad was it?"

"Oh, it hurt way worse than being shot, but it was worth it."

"Yeah, it really is. Have you picked a name yet?"

Henry walks over to Linda and places the baby in her arms. "Charles Janko Reagan."

Linda smiles down at her nephew and softly touches his tiny nose. "That's a good name."

Sean, who had been standing by the window with his older brother, comes forward to look at the newborn. "Charlie is a good name. There's this guy in my grade named Charlie and he's super smart and athletic and has a new girlfriend every other week."

"I'm not sure names work that way, Sean, but I'm glad you like it," Jamie says with a chuckle.

"I don't know Uncle Jamie," Jack chimes in. "I had a guy in my grade named Charlie and he was super popular too. We won't know for a while but maybe our Charlie will be the coolest Reagan of all."

"I'm the coolest Reagan of all and don't any of you forget it." Danny says while reaching to take his nephew out of his wife's hands. Almost immediately the baby starts to cry and everyone in the room starts to laugh.

"Good to know Danny still has that affect on newborns," Linda says before turning back to Eddie. "When Nikki was a baby Erin wouldn't let him hold her until she was 6 months old – she started crying every time he even reached for her."

"She did not," but Danny is already handing Charlie back to Eddie and he immediately calms down again.

"Can I hold him?" Jack asks quietly.

Eddie's about to say sure, but Linda interrupts. "Not today, Jack. You two need to need to have your vaccinations updated first – you're both scheduled for next week, but I'll try to get you in sooner. We don't need Charlie getting the flu or anything else."

Jack looks mildly disappointed but agrees.

"Ok boys, let's let Erin and Nikki in, the hour's almost up and they would be upset if they didn't get at least 15 minutes in here with the baby." Linda gives Eddie and Jamie a kiss on the cheek before ushering her children out the door.

Danny claps Jamie on the back before leaving. "Good job, kid. He'll be the best thing you'll ever do." He starts to walk out the door before looking back, "But don't think for one second that he'll be cooler than me." With a quiet chuckle still in the air the door closes behind him.

Erin and Nikki enter the room right away and more hugs and kisses are given. Eddie hands the baby to Nikki and smiles at how delighted the young woman looks.

Erin sees the delight too. "Don't get any ideas young lady. He's adorable now but he won't be nearly as cute when it's three in the morning and he won't stop screaming."

"Mom, chill. I'm not planning on having kids for like ten years, at least." Nikki coos at the newborn and softly runs a finger over his candy floss hair.

"Just remember that you can't always plan these things out," Eddie says. "Charlie was definitely not planned, so just always be careful. You can never be too careful."

Jamie chokes softly. "That's my niece you're talking too. She's just a kid."

"Jamie, she's twenty one."

"So?"

Eddie just gives him an incredulous look.

Erin cuts in. "Ok, ok, you two, stop parenting my kid, besides we had that conversation a long time ago and none of us need the embarrassment again. Now hand over the baby, he needs some Aunt Erin kisses." Nikki hands him over.

"Mom and I got the changing table all set up at your place and the car seat is in the waiting room with everyone. Both are gray, so hopefully you like them."

"I'm sure they're great, Nikki, thank you." Eddie tells her.

"Don't you have class today?" Jamie asks.

Nikki rolls her eyes. "Uncle Jamie, I wouldn't miss meeting my new cousin for anything. Besides, mom called me at seven this morning with the news and all thoughts of class flew out of my mind."

"She has a 3.8 GPA, I think she can afford to miss one day." Erin says while softly rocking Charlie in her arms. His tiny eyes flutter closed.

Frank sticks his head in the door. "Alright, it's been an hour, let's head out." He brings in the car seat – a light gray one with tiny, darker gray buffalos stitched all around.

"You guys really don't need to leave; it's nice having you all here." Eddie says from the hospital bed.

"No, no, we promised, but one of us will be back later to bring you guys a real dinner, any preferences?" Frank asks.

"Chinese, please," Eddie all but screams the request. "I haven't been able to eat it in a month and I've been craving lo mein." She looks at Jamie, "I can eat it now that Charlie's here right?"

He shrugs. "I don't see why not. Thanks dad, that's really nice of you."

"Of course, son." He turns to his daughter. "Alright, Erin, give Charlie back, it's time to go."

Erin hands the infant to Jamie and kisses him on the cheek. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to see how you guys are doing and Linda has the night shift tonight so I'm sure she'll be in to check on you. Love you guys." She puts her arm around Nikki and the three of them go to leave the room.

"Love you too," Jamie and Eddie say in unison.

Jamie turns back to the bed.

"That's the first time I've heard you say you love my family," he says as he lowers himself into a chair.

"Of course I love your family – they're some of the best people I've ever met." She reaches over to put her hand on Jamie's cheek. "Besides, you wouldn't be you without them and I kind of love you." She replies with a smirk.

"Only 'kind of'?" He leans toward her, careful not to jostle Charlie.

"Well, you're allowing me to finally eat Chinese food again, so maybe more than 'kind of," she moves forward even more.

"I'll take that," he says before placing his lips on hers.

* Here's the last chapter – it took forever, I know. Hopefully you guys like it. I like to think Jamie and Eddie would kind of reverse typical parent roles when their kids are older. Like, instead of 'go ask your mother' it'll be Eddie telling them to go ask Jamie. I tried to get that to come across a little in these stories, maybe it worked maybe it didn't. Also, just as a side note, I use a quarter to decide the sex of most of the babies in my stories. Sometimes I have a girl or boy in mind but in this story I didn't, I can see Jamie and Eddie with both so heads was a boy and tails was a girl – heads won. It's been really fun writing these chapters and I hope you guys have enjoyed reading them. I have more ideas, so hopefully more stories will be coming soon – but this thread is finished. Thanks everyone for reading!


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